Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Mr Romney's victory – and John McCain's defeat – in Michigan can be explained in several ways. Mr Romney always had more funds at his disposal; without a win to his name, he was probably the more desperate. He also had the closer local connection, in...

That some people prefer to live with their own "sort" – the same ethnic background, religion, traditions – and not with "themuns", as they say in Northern Ireland, is incontestable. Actual figures are hard to come by (people are less than frank about...

The deal may face obstruction by the Democrat-controlled Congress; it might even be turned down. But Mr Bush was sending his own message. So far as the White House is concerned, Saudi Arabia is still Washington's No 1 ally in the region. The US may n...

The state sector needs to be equally attractive to the best teachers (not only in salary terms) and have the funding to provide the facilities, equipment and smaller class sizes enjoyed by the private sector. Unfortunately the great British public wo...

With the three-day questioning of the Princess's former butler, Paul Burrell, the inquest – held before a jury and in public – has probably reached the heights, and plumbed the depths, of what it could achieve. Mr Burrell has made a second career out...

In spite of numerous inquiries – including a continuing Competition Commission investigation – thousands of loan, credit card and mortgage customers are still being strong-armed into buying these products every year, even though they are often unsuit...

So which measure of public buying power is more accurate? The difference between the two indices should not be exaggerated. There are minor divergences in methodology, but this in itself has no significant impact. Both indexes include the key factors...

Thus, Keegan belonged to a past that England fans would prefer to forget about, Capello to a present that has got them dreaming once again. One was yesterday's man, the other very much today's.
But in football, it seems, no assumption is ever safe. O...

Welcome to the weird world of the establishment dress code. The injunction is part of Ascot's new clothing regulations. Along with demands for substantial fascinators to be donned, the race course stipulates that dress straps should be more than an i...